California man jumps on moving SUV to stop beer thieves

STEVINSON, Calif. — Many will go to extremes for a beer — but only a brave few will take measures stop them, by any means necessary.

Case in point: six people were arrested Sunday after a good Samaritan foiled a plot to steal two 12-packs of Budweiser, the Merced County Sheriff's Department reported.

The incident was reported around 4 p.m. after one of the suspects walked into Lander Grocery and Liquor at 2799 Lander Ave. in Stevinson. The suspect grabbed two 12-packs of beer, got into a tan Chevrolet Tahoe and started to drive away, according to Deputy Tom MacKenzie, sheriff's spokesman.

However, a 28-year-old man, Erick Borgman, witnessed the theft and ran after the SUV and began pounding on the windows, telling the driver to stop. Five other people were also inside the SUV, MacKenzie said.

The Tahoe drove away — but Borgman jumped onto the running board and grabbed a railing on the roof of the vehicle as it headed south on Lander Avenue.

As Borgman was hanging onto the SUV, his father followed the suspects in his truck as they turned onto Highway 140. Reaching speeds of about 80 mph, Borgman climbed onto the SUV's roof and began pounding on it.

After Borgman's father pulled his vehicle in front of the suspect's Tahoe, the SUV slowed down, allowing Erick Borgman to jump off. Meanwhile, Deputy Tim Goncalves spotted the suspect's Tahoe at Westside Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue near Livingston.

The suspect driver passed through several stop signs, but finally yielded on Peach Street in Livingston. Several deputies arrived, taking the driver and five occupants of the SUV into custody. Sometime during the ride, the suspects tossed the beer out the window while Borgman was on the roof, MacKenzie said.

Borgman wasn't hurt during the incident. "The lady who owns that store is a good friend of ours," he said. "I just went after him."